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Range mistake and a squadron of B17Es scouting enemy warships accidentally wanders into Rabaul Harbor finding two big girls...

Will start the next forward jump with Marines and start establishing PBY bases. Some of the nicer bases will need Marines while Nabire will just be a small under the radar CAT base. Some are within range of our small APD fleet. A lot of these bases are capable of being built up into size 8 airfields.

Japan hasn't developed any of them really...

Fighting hard in China...need supplies badly!

Japanese bombers are doing serious work, along with all the IJA tanks and heavy artillery. Somehow we are managing to hold on...

Western Australia...

I only have six LCI...and the LSTs need to travel across the Pacific to get to the front lines....I have sent some to all the perimeter (Aleutians, Wake, Marcus, Tabby, but need them in the Solomons. Using xAPc and xAKLs and small xAKs to fill the gap but the merchant ships just can't unload fast enough for safety, although I haven't been bitten yet!
I am thinking of doing an emergency load of the 132inf Rgt at Horn with 3APs and having them retire into the Gulf of Carpentaria and then invading Merauke from there rather than sedately loading at Horn and moving on Merauke, I might even move the six APDs here (they are over at Rossel Island currently...that would be another 1000 troop capacity). Or faking a supply convoy to Horn and have it stop one hex short of Horn and then land at Meauke the following day even if I only get 1/2 day of unloading. I have a great fear of sticking around at invasion sites....

Well, now you know where two BBs are. Any plans to attack them? Maybe mob them with PT Boats during favorable weather and/or moonlight? Followed up with DDs with low aggression? Night torpedo attacks from PBYs or Avengers? Even lots of bombs would wreck their topsides. Devastators did sink one for me early on with about forty 500lb hits topside over two days.

Considering what you are doing around New Guinea, those APDs come in handy. As an Allied player, I like to convert the Clemson and Wickes classes to those after they gain experience. But doing some research to update my database, a lot of those got transferred to the Atlantic Ocean area for duty there but those are not done in the game.

If you really need supplies in China, just invade Hong Kong and Canton, then dump millions of supplies there . . .

You are doing so much better than I would have done.

Your strategy of dozens of small invasions has put him back on his heels - he can't respond to them all. The Japanese need to concentrate their forces and keep interior LOC in 1943 but you have taken a shotgun to that! Very interesting to watch - thanks for your well-illustrated AAR.

BBfanboy wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:33 pm Your strategy of dozens of small invasions has put him back on his heels - he can't respond to them all. The Japanese need to concentrate their forces and keep interior LOC in 1943 but you have taken a shotgun to that! Very interesting to watch - thanks for your well-illustrated AAR.

I agree.

Feb 26, 1943

Moving forward. The Deathstar is around Townsville...will head by to Tabby and then perhaps Pearl for the Marianas invasion. Need to start moving the APs to Pearl -- I have started a little already.

Meanwhile this area is the stomping ground of cruisers, destroyers and small ships. 2 Heavy Cruisers are keeping Port Moresby suppressed...while 2 more are in reserve at Woodlark Island. Four light Cruisers are bombarding the eastern Japanese base along with destroyers and hunting for Japanese shipping while PT boats are guarding bases.

I really don't have enough shipping to keep everything moving forward quickly, and I also kind of lack the clicks...supply has been somewhat of an issue but is being rectified with fuel and bullets from Australia which got there from Cape Town.

Mines will now be allocated to the Marianas.

Fletchers are heading into upgrades for two weeks....
Will be heading off for a weeks vacation tomorrow...will take the lap top....

Japan keeps pounding forward in China...all the tanks and artillery are very difficult to counter, plus there are 400 bombers hitting our troops daily.

Had to redo my last turn since I messed up and failed to email the turn...or the dreaded email void got it. Travelling and working from an old laptop...have to admit some of my pages are hard to read on this old, old beast.

I am too lazy to use a newer laptop for the game, as I would have to install it again.

Attacking Akyab, and some ship bombardments around Rabaul are all that is exciting...I think.

Late Feb 1943

Continue to bombard IJ bases in the area...

Got one...lots of Allied subs working the Akyab line...

End of Feb,1943

Got one!

Big attack in China...

March 1, 1943

Tangle with the IJN at Akyab...

And again!

Using Palliser, we avoided all torpedoes....and fully rearmed at Chittagong.

Got a little sloppy with a barge task force and a dozen Vals nailed it....sunk one LCI barge.
Playing as Japan, I have lost the slow IJN BBs to Cruiser forces of the Americans in the past...but I didn't want to slug it out here. Short some destroyers as the 10 or so Fletchers are upgrading at Bristol and Sydney.

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